New York state ranks 24th among the 50 states for job seekers in WalletHub’s 2026 comparison of employment conditions and economic factors.
The state placed third for monthly average starting salary and sixth for employment growth, but 42nd for job opportunities and last for average commute time, according to WalletHub’s report.
New York’s strengths and weak points
New York also ranked fifth for average length of the workweek, 20th for job security, 22nd for median annual income adjusted for the cost of living and 33rd for its unemployment rate.
Those figures are ranks within WalletHub’s comparison, with first place representing the most favorable conditions for job seekers.
The state received an overall score of 54.50. It ranked 22nd in the job market category and 31st for economic environment. Nebraska finished first overall.
WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said the strongest states offer conditions that help people find and retain jobs, along with competitive compensation and benefits. He also pointed to conditions for working parents as part of what can make a state attractive to people building careers and families.
How WalletHub built the ranking
WalletHub compared states using 34 indicators. Its scoring gives 60 points to job market measures and 40 to the economic environment, with individual indicators graded on a 100-point scale and combined using weighted averages.
The company said the data were collected as of Sept. 30, 2026.
Its job opportunities measure combines openings relative to the labor force with unemployment. Employment growth is adjusted for growth in the working-age population.
Experts discuss growth and retraining
Sean Walker, a management professor at the University of Tennessee at Martin, identified medical fields, technology and infrastructure as areas expected to grow over the next decade.
He said the pace of automation, robotics and artificial intelligence could change those projections, depending on how quickly the technologies advance and are adopted.
Ohio University associate professor Jacqueline Yahn offered a rural perspective, saying economic leaders in rural areas emphasize skilled trades, health care and the recreational economy because those sectors connect public interest with desired wages and benefits.
For local policymakers seeking to diversify their economies, Anderson University economics professor Miren Ivankovic emphasized skilled workers and infrastructure that complement new industries.
Walker suggested municipal practices aimed at attracting a wider range of businesses, including favorable tax systems, grants, building retrofits, assistance for small and midsize businesses and simpler permitting.
On retraining displaced workers, Walker said the right approach depends on a worker’s existing and desired skills, the industry and available technology.
Ivankovic emphasized continuing education, saying workers need to keep up with changing innovations and demand even before they lose a job.
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